Abundance Mastery and Fear

At least once a week, I receive an email from a client or student who is convinced there’s something deeply “wrong” with them. The reason for their concern? They are terrified of moving forward and it’s stopping them from taking action in their business.

I have to be brutally honest here. There’s nothing wrong. Being absolutely terrified is a completely normal part of the journey. I’m not talking discomfort – I’m talking debilitating fear that takes our breath away.

Here are the normal issues we encounter as expanding entrepreneurs – and I am not exaggerating!

The thought of sending out a marketing email has us curl up in the fetal position, unable to move.

The idea of picking up the phone makes us crawl back into bed and pull the covers up over our heads.

We wake up at two in the morning, our minds racing, the fear of failure so much greater than the desire for success.

Bouts of crying, anger, and desperation arise at least once a week, twice if you’re really going for it.

This is normal, folks. Being petrified doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. It just means you’re an entrepreneur who is increasing their income. In fact, if you’re feeling good and comfortable all the time, you’re probably not growing your business. You’re probably busy, but not productive.

Most people actually invest most of their money and energy avoiding the terror barrier – by taking more classes, by doing research, by shopping for yet another teacher or mentor or marketing method, by doing a bunch of networking with a lot of other people also successfully avoiding the terror barrier.

Being busy is a great way to avoid the terror. It just doesn’t make us any money.

I promise that I have spent my share of nights on my couch in tears, wondering why I do what I do.

I don’t want to sugar-coat what you’re in for if you want to create a thriving, financially abundant business. There are going to be times when you feel like crap. And if you’re really going for expansion, you’re going to have days when you absolutely hate your life.

I know, I know. This is not what you want to hear. Everyone just wants to feel GOOD. And all of us spiritual folks think that any negativity indicates that we are not on our most Divine path. It’s not true.

There’s a reason not everyone creates a successful business, even though they want one, even though they are talented, intelligent people with great gifts to share.

It’s hard.

If it were easy, everyone who wants to create money in their own business would be doing it successfully.

But it’s not impossible. If it were impossible, then NO-ONE would be doing it.

The question is … do you want it badly enough?

I promise there’s no way to avoid the fear. There’s no way to avoid squirming in your own skin, your mind racing to find yet another way to reasonably procrastinate, to avoid doing what’s necessary to create the money you want … and then having enough drive, discipline, and desire to DO IT ANYWAY.

There’s a reason most people have a job.

As entrepreneurs, we don’t go through the terror barrier just once. We have to do it again. And again. Every single time we expand, the fear is there.

It’s not for everyone. You have to really, really, really want it.

There’s a few things that help.

The first is having a community of people who are as determined as you are, who are willing to face their fear, and do what’s necessary to create results no matter what.

They can be hard to come by. Let’s face it, when our spouse or our friends or our parents see us miserable and terrified, they are highly unlikely to do what we need most. They are highly unlikely to tell us we’re NOT going to die, to suck it up and just do what needs to be done. No, they tend to try and make us feel better. They give us great excuses not to take action. They tell us to put our feet up, to take a break, to have a glass of wine, to relax.

It’s bad advice. What gets us through the fear is action.

The second is a mentor or coach who holds our feet to the fire and reminds us of the big picture, the greater goal … because in the middle of a fear storm, all we can see is our own discomfort.

The third is constantly reminding ourselves of what actions are necessary to create income. It’s so easy for our minds to come up with good excuses to do anything BUT that which scares us so much! This means constantly studying – not as a way to avoid taking action, but to remind us of the necessity of implementation.

But let’s not try to avoid the fear. The fear doesn’t mean there’s anything “wrong” with you. It just means that your humanity is terrified of your Divinity. That’s all.

I promise that you will NOT DIE as a result of increasing your income. You won’t get burned at the stake, drowned in a river, or stoned to death. I also promise you that no amount of energy clearing, past-life regression, tapping, or any other modality will take away the terror barrier.

The fear is just a part of being human. And if you’re looking to ground your Divinity into your humanity – well, you just have to be willing to deal with it.

26 Comments

Andrrea, I’ve got to say that this post is so brilliant! I love all your posts – but this one is HOT! It has explained all the edginess I’ve been experiencing lately and has empowered me to keep on keepin on regardless because you have identified so much for me. I loved reading that it is really hard and if your not experiencing fear then your not expanding enough. Especially loved hearing that no amount of energy work can clear the fear we feel when stepping up.
Live to you! Melissa:)

Andrrea, you You got the heck out of me with this article! I felt it was written just for me:-)
I was in this brilliant situation, where everything came in and is waiting to manifest into reality. The one peice missing- My permission! It is so strange the ways our ego side works sometimes… I have this huge opportunity where I can so easily manifest my ideal life (for which I have been visualizing and doing all hocus-pocus happily,without imagining this fear would creep in someday..heheh) I feel like running somewhere and hiding..Your words came in just at the exact point and thats again like a double-edged sword. Happy that things are moving, yet petrified of going into the spotlight and being visible! I am looking forward to the Video Event and in the meanwhile will try and step up to my Divinity, by holding Humanity closely:) Thanks so much..!

LOL, Bushra … yes, the “hocus-pocus visualizing” is SO much easier to do than the actual grounded steps we have to take! As for being petrified … be petrified. Be visible anyway. The fear will go away once you notice that you’re still alive, still breathing, and nothing bad happens once you show up in a bigger way.

OMG, Andrrea!!… I so love your posts!… Especially this one!… You cut right to the heart of the truth… You say what everyone experiences but is afraid to say… THANK YOU!!… Keep this up!… I love your expressions of “fear storm”, and that when we feel petrified, it’s just that our humanity is terrified of our Divinity… Wow… Amazing insights… Thank you again, Andrrea!… You truly a blessing for me!… Love, Aurelio.

Hahaha, “It just means that your humanity is terrified of your Divinity. That’s all.” What a comforting way to look at fear and procrastination!

This was also a very timely insight and answer to something simmering at the back of my mind: I seemed to be spending an inordinate amount of time on my email and other chores, and wondered what was up with that. Thanks for clanging the alarm bell – Wake up! I’m putting off doing what really matters, because I’m scared!

Okay, this is good! From here I can get the party re-started. Thanks, Andrrea!

This post knocks one out of the park, Andrrea! Thank you for telling it like it is and not sugar-coating entrepreneurship and growth through it into abundance and the manifestation of one’s dreams. We hear so much of the triumphant upside from coaches, gurus and info-marketers, mostly from their “after-success” vantage point, and not enough of what the road (the real journey, the day to day) is like along the way to that success, and what it takes to keep going down that road. Thanks for laying it out there.

Frankly, I find the ENTIRE entrepreneurial/self-employment journey preferable to the traditional j-o-b, and not just because of the obvious perks like freedom and flexibility. Instead, I relish it because it is a journey of self-discovery and growth most of us would otherwise never voluntarily or be prompted to begin. It will bring you to face yourself – to know your true essence – quickly and thoroughly. You will dig deeper, fail grander, soar higher and become more resilient than you otherwise would have. You will come FULLY ALIVE and you will do so through upward spirals of challenge again and again because the sky’s the limit. So to those who feel the fear I can only share that from my own experience, it’s worth it.

You are totally right, Karen. You know, NONE of us got into our business for the money! And we also don’t stay in it for the money, OR the freedom and flexibility … We stay in it because of who we have to become in order to be successful! It is THE greatest path of growth I can think of.

I also agree with you that the “you, too, can make oodles of money easily with my five-step proven system” ra-ra is portrayed a lot more than the determination and willingness it truly takes to make it happen. But I think that’s because birthing our business is like birthing a baby – you don’t always remember the pain and struggle because the triumphs are SO fulfilling.

I have been a copywriter for 16 years, and now want to use my communication skills to help people. I plan to use automatic writing (channeling) to offer hope and possibility to my readers. I am uncertain right now how I can turn this into a viable business–so for now I simply trust that abundance will flow to me in divine timing.

I would love if you’d address the topic of monetizing blogs in your future posts!
Blessings to you,
Julie

Yeah! I’m willing! But can I just say my middle finger is outstretched in an upward position? 😉 My consolation so far is that I do KNOW and AGREE that “action” is the magic word . . . and I **AM** taking DIFFERENT actions so I know I can expect different results! Thank you for holding me feet to the fire. Eventually I’m sure that middle finger will return to a more relaxed position! 😉

Thank you for reminding me of this, I’ve had some setbacks shake me pretty hard recently and I thought for sure having doubts (while in a sleep deprived state, after some marketing work I was doing fell through) meant there was something wrong with me. Doubt or not I knew when I started my own business that the frustartion free path doesn’t exist so I might as well be frustrated doing what I love, and there was nothing like some serious frustration to remind me of that.

My husband and I are going through particularly scary times with regards to his business. Yes – it IS terrifying sometimes to own your own small business. We’ve had lots of fear about money – is it coming? how do we bridge the gaps? etc – but what you said is so accurate.

Along with the risks and fears, come great rewards. I’ll remember this mantra from your post for both my husband’s business and for my own small intuitively based business that I want to take bigger – “What gets us through the fear is action”.

It is easier to have a job, but it is also just not as utterly fulfilling as following the job you create because it makes you feel fully awake and alive.

OMG Andrrea, Were you reading my journal this morning, lol? Awesome article and so perfect. I just said to my assistant that being an entrepreneur has been more challenging for me than it was to heal stage 4 cancer. The peaks and valleys are wild. Crazy, right? Strapping on my seatbelt now that I know I’m “normal” and getting ready for more action.

This is awesome post! It’s very relevant to my business situation.
I spent so much time procrastinating and avoiding the situation because I was afraid to tackle my fear of doing something important in my business.
I often said to myself “I’m screwed! I’m screwed!”
But now, I realize I have to do something I fear instead of avoiding it.
Thanks Andrrea for sharing this post!

I woke up at 4 am this morning in freak out fear mode over some HUGE changes I am making with the message that I need to “let go” and simple instruction to start cleaning up my inbox.

Voila! I came across the email which linked to this article and am so glad to know that what I’m feeling is normal, natural and part of the process of expansion. I won’t be able to run from it. Feeling the fear doesn’t mean I’m going in the wrong direction. My mind telling me it’s all too big, too overwhelming, too much is something I will encounter and that I must decide to keep going.

Thank you Andrrea for the timeless and practical wisdom you share. It is often just what I need to hear at just the right time:) Back to the inbox!